The death of John Beam, a football coach rooted in Oakland for decades, has sent shockwaves across the Northern California sports community.

Beam was shot at Laney College on Thursday, where he was head football coach for 12 years before taking over as athletic director in 2024. He died in the hospital on Friday morning, according to the Oakland Police Department.

(Video player above: Investigators says Coach Beam knew the man suspected of killing him)

Beam began his coaching career in 1979 as an offensive line coach for Serra High School and later moved to Oakland in 1982 to be the defensive coordinator for Skyline High School. Skyline boasted an undefeated season in 1984 with Beam on the staff. In 1987 he was promoted to head football coach.

In his time as head coach at Skyline, Bea

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